The Sweetest Love There Is
by sweetprincess900045
Summary: Ralph finds out about Vanellope dating Rancis and he's quite furious about it. So he tries to keep the two apart. But when Ralph's wrecking causes Rancis to go to the hospital, will he finally understand how much these two love each other? Or will he just push it out to the curb?
1. After the roster race

**_Happy new year, everyone! This is sweetprincess900045, or sweet princess, wishing you the best for you new year! I hope you have your resolutions started, but for now, read my new story! From my computer to yours, Happy New Year!_**

* * *

_Ch.1_

It was a splendid day for every game character in Sugar Rush. It was the Random Roster Race, and Vanellope was in the lead. Ralph smiled as he saw her speed towards the finish line, cheering her on.

"Go, kid! You can do it, Vanellope!" he shouted.

Vanellope zoomed across the finish line, with the rest of the racer in tow. The crowd erupted into cheers, congratulating the winner. Vanellope held up her Sugar Rush Cup as the announcer called out her name.

"First place: Vanellope Von Schweetz!"

Vanellope waved to the crowd, blowing out kisses and shooting winks. She walked over to the other racer, who was heading towards her. They complimented her and shook her hand, some even saying she won't be so lucky next time. Vanellope thanked them for their kind words and ran over to Ralph and the others.

"Check it out, Ralph! I won!" she exclaimed, showing off her trophy.

'Nice work, kid!" he said, patting her head.

Felix and Calhoun swung by after praising the racers on their hard work, and patted Vanellope's back.

"If it isn't the champion herself," Felix teased.

"You did good, soldier," Calhoun praised her, messing up her hair.

"Thank you," she replied, brushing her hair. As Vanellope admired her trophy, she heard a voice behind her.

"Vanellope!"

She jumped at the voice, and turned around to see Rancis making his way towards her, smiling. She beamed and ran up to him, giving him a gigantic hug. To Ralph, their conversation was inaudible, but he strained to attempt to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"You coming, kiddo?" Felix asked, grabbing her attention briefly.

Vanellope looked over her shoulder and nodded. "I'm coming! Hold your horses," she yelled back at them. She turned her gaze back on Rancis and once more gave him a bear hug. She pulled apart and ran back towards the group, waving goodbye to Rancis.

"Bye, Rancis. I'll see you later!

"Bye, Vanellope!"

Rancis hopped into his kart, revved the engine and drove off. Ralph saw Vanellope staring after the boy, her cheeks tinted. "You okay, kid?"

She looked at him, brushing her bangs of her face and nodded, walking off. "Y-yeah, I'm fine." She stammered, grasping her trophy in her hands. "C'mon, we coming or what, slowpokes?" Ralph chuckled and followed the group towards Game Central Station.

* * *

"Tapper, four root beers, please!" Vanellope called out to the bartender once reaching their booth.

"Here you go!" he exclaimed, pushing out four root beers. They all grabbed a mug and clanked it together.

"To Vanellope's win on the Random Roster Race!" Felix declared.

They all brought the mug to their mouths and began chugging down the fizzy drink. Vanellope smiled at the others, but her mind seems to drift off elsewhere. She swished the root beer back and forth absentmindedly, not realizing that Ralph had called on her.

"So how bout it, kid?"

She jumped when she heard Ralph's voice, startled. Have she forgotten that Ralph was with her this whole time she was spacing out. "H-how bout what?"

"How bout we go over to Pac-man later?"

She nodded distractfully, mumbling, "Oh, sure." and looked back down on her drink. Calhoun was the first to speak up.

"You okay, soldier? You seem out of it today," she said.

"You have been awfully quiet, Vanellope," Felix pointed out.

Vanellope smiled at them and shook her head. "I'm fine, guys. Just… thinking about some things," she replied, sipping her drink. She laid her head on the counter and stared intently at her left wrist. Vanellope felt her cheeks burning hot, and tried to cover it, but it was too late. Ralph caught sight of them. Putting his hand to her forehead, he asked, "What's that you got there? Some beads?"

"It's nothing, really," she assured him, pulling the sleeve to cover up her wrist. Felix smiled and chuckled at her, her face was now the color of a fire hydrant.

"Aw, look. Vanellope has the honeyglows-"

"I don't have the honeyglows," she objected. "It's just hot in here."

Ralph watched her drink the last of her root beer and raised an eyebrow, suspicious. "Really? It's pretty warm in here. Don't you think, guys?" Ralph pointed out. When Felix and Calhoun shook their heads, Vanellope became even more flustered, her face now steaming.

"Look, I just don't feel ecstatic today, alright? The race tired me out, can we please just leave it at that?" she begged.

No one could deny that, so they stopped talking. After a moment of awkward silence, Ralph spoke up again.

"So kid, what was going on between you and pretty boy back there?" he asked nonchalantly, looking at her dubiously.

Vanellope froze suddenly, her face growing red. She didn't know how to answer. She looked away, trying to hide her beet red face. Felix smiled and gently shoved her. "So you do have the honeyglows, sweet pea. This must mean that you like someone." Felix said. Feeling a bit annoyed, Ralph began to intervene.

"Woah, whoa, whoa, Felix. Kid's only nine. She can't have a boyfriend, it's not right."

"Yeah-wait, what?" Vanellope piped up, then looking at Ralph, confused. "What do you mean 'it's not right?' Are you saying I can't like someone?"

"No, kid that's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying you can't _date_ someone. Huge difference." He corrected.

"Even if I did like someone, why are you so against it?"

"Vanellope, let me make something clear to you. Those guys from your game picked and tormented you for fifteen years. You're telling me even after all that, you're willing go out with a _boy_?!"

"Cut them some slack! It's not their fault Turbo locked their memories. Anyways, Ralph, there's something I need to tell you something important."

"Well, what is it?"

Vanellope looked up and saw that Ralph, Felix and Calhoun stared at her. She grew uneasy and squirmed in her seat. "Uh… just forget it. C'mon, I have to go home soon anyways, so move your molasses." She deadpanned, crawling out of her seat and headed towards the exit, Ralph , Felix and Calhoun in tow.

* * *

"Darn it, Vanellope! You blew it!" Vanellope scolded to herself, making her way towards the castle. "You told yourself you'd tell Ralph, instead you spaced out! Gosh!" She sighed and kicked the dirt in frustration.

"Now how am I going to tell Ralph?"

As Vanellope snapped to herself, a figure came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, startling her.

"A princess shouldn't be out here alone, y'know," a voice teased her.

Vanellope knew that voice very well. She turned around and beamed at him, her eyes twinkling at the person.

"Rancis!"

Rancis smiled at the girl and pulled her into a hug. Vanellope blushed at this, but said nothing. They soon pulled away and began walking towards the castle, hand in hand.

"So what are you doing here, miss royalty?" Rancis asked. "It can be kind of dangerous out here."

"I just came back with the others from Tapper's," she explained.

Rancis smiled and tightened his grip on Vanellope's hand. She smiled at him as they came closer to the castle. "So… talked to the others today…" she started. Rancis looked at her, smiling. "Unfortunately, I… didn't tell them." She finished. Rancis looked at her with a sad expression, pulling on a pouting face.

"Why?" he whined in a cute manner.

She smiled at him and giggled. "I tried to tell them but it just won't come out!" she explained. "But I'll tell them soon. I promise."

"How soon?" Rancis questioned, stopping at the castle doors.

Vanellope turned to look at him and took his other hand, clutching both of his hands. "Soon. I promise. Now I really have to go-"

"I don't get any sugar?"

Vanellope looked into Rancis' eyes and smiled softly. She jumped into his enveloped arms and buried her face in his shoulder. After a while, she pulled away and opened the door.

"Goodbye, pretty boy. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, _schönes_," Rancis said, making her blush at his comment, and walked off. He hopped into his kart, revved the engine and drove off into the distance. Vanellope smiled after him and closed the door, walking down the corridor. She sighed heavily and ran her hand through her hair, stressed out. She didn't know what to do. And if Ralph found out the hard way…

"Oh boy," she gulped.

She shook her head as if there was a swarm of bees flying around her and smiled. Pushing that aside, she thrusts open the grand doors to the throne room and smiled at the person sitting on the throne itself, reading a book

"Dad, I'm home!"

King Candy looked up and smiled at his daughter. "Welcome home, cupcake. Congrats on your victory as well," he praised gesturing to her trophy. Vanellope looked at her prized trophy and smiled at it. "Yeah, it's… pretty amazing," she replied, looking at the ground. King Candy saw this and got up from his comfy chair, making his way to his daughter. Crouching down to her level, he tilted her chin up so he can look at her in the eye.

"What's wrong, Vanellope? You're usually bouncing off the wall at this point, explaining how amazing the race was," he said.

Vanellope sighed and shook her head. "I'm just not in the mood today, dad. Sorry," she answered, walking past him and making her way to the staircase. King Candy watched his daughter in concern.

"Be down for dinner, alright, sweetheart?"

"Yeah, sure, dad."

King Candy sighed and sat back down on his throne, wondering what could possibly put Vanellope in this mood.


	2. serious chit-chats

_Ch.2_

The next few days were quite uneventful. The arcade seemed to be functioning well, and every game character seemed to be happy. All but Ralph. Since he last spoke with Vanellope, she seemed quite suspicious since the last Random Roster Race. He realized that every time he saw her, she seemed to be spending quality time with Rancis, which made Ralph even more suspicious about her. He spoke to Felix and Calhoun, but they didn't know any business about the young munchkin. Ralph grew frustrated, making his way to _Sugar Rush_. There was only one person who knew Vanellope better than he does.

"King Candy, I need to speak with you." Ralph demanded.

King Candy jumped in his throne, dropping his book. How long have Ralph been standing in front of him, and how come Sour Bill didn't anyone inform him of his arrival? He looked at Ralph as if he just threw a bucket of cold water on him, before regaining his composure. He stepped down from his throne and put on a smile. "Ralph, what a surprise," he chuckled. "I wasn't expecting y-"

"Your candiness, I need to speak to you. It's quite urgent."

King Candy looked puzzled. "What is it that's so urgent, Ralph?" he asked. Ralph momentarily remained silent before asking, "You're daughter, Vanellope. Are there times when you get worried about her?" King Candy looked at Ralph warily, crossing his arms. "Well, as a father, of course I worry about her. Why?"

"Oh, just wondering. I just figured that you're concerned about your daughter, you'd take action, like a powerful ruler would do," he simply explained.

"Ralph, I'd really appreciate it if you tell me what you're rambling about."

"What I'm rambling about is that your 'little girl' is seeing someone, a boy, and I'm not comfortable about this, don't you agree?"

King Candy looked at Ralph for a moment, not quite understanding. "A boy? What are you- are you referring to Rancis?" He implied. "Well, what's so wrong about that?" Ralph frowned and shook his head. "Your candiness, you don't understand. Vanellope is still a tad too young to be dating, don't you think? I can understand if she's just friends with the boy, but dating is just above and beyond. I'm just saying-"

"What you're saying is that Vanellope cannot interact with kids her own age?" King Candy asked crossing his arms.

"Yes- I mean, no! I mean, I'm just not comfortable with the fact that Vanellope is spending quality time with_ him_ in particular!" he yelled. "Your candiness, can't you prevent Vanellope from seeing certain people?" he asked. King Candy shook his head and crossed his arms. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Ralph. If preventing Vanellope from seeing other people will give you a victory, then I won't help you." King Candy replied. Ralph remained quiet, not knowing what to say exactly. King Candy sighed heavily and looked at Ralph sympathetically.

King Candy frowned and looked at Ralph with understanding in his eyes. "Ralph, I know what you're thinking, but you must know something: Vanellope have to socialize with other people," the king stated. "You must comprehend that Vanellope and the other racers are only children."

Ralph grew silent and stared at the ground. He didn't know what to say. King Candy walked up to him and patted his hand.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Ralph." King Candy assured him. "Just give her a chance.

"You're right, your candiness. I guess I was overreacting over her sake." Ralph looked up and smiled a bit. "I'm glad we had this little talk. Thank you for your time." Ralph grabbed the monarch's hand and shook it, before turned around and exiting the room. King Candy stared blankly for a while and smiled, adjusting his bow tie.

"Why do i have a feeling this isn't going to end well?" he mumbled to himself, sitting back on his throne and picking up his book, turning the pages.

* * *

"Gotta trust the kid. Gotta trust the kid." Ralph chanted to himself. He sat down at Tapper's and silently drank some root beer. He replayed the small talk with King Candy in his head, but it wasn't working. He sighed, pounding his fists on the table in frustration. He knew that King Candy was right, but can he help but to feel over-protective over the kid? She's like a sister to him, and he wasn't going to let some pretty boy come in and whisk her off her feet. For all he knew, Rancis could be the type of guys who sees several girls at once. What would happen to Vanellope then?

"What's wrong with you, soldier?"

He looked up and saw Felix and Calhoun sliding into the other side of the booth. "You seem down in the dumps today. And I don't mean that literally."

"Tammi," Felix silently scolded her.

"What? Just saying," she replied.

Ralph shook his head and ruffled up his messed up hair. 'I just came back from talking to King Candy. And-"

"Ralph you didn't!"

"I had to! You think I'm going to let the kid be around a boy at all times? Felix, she's nine!" He argued. Taking a swing of his drink, he wiped off the foamy mustache. "Besides, I'm doing her a favor. She thank me one day." To this Felix shook his head.

"So your goal is to keep Vanellope from seeing a boy?" he inquired.

"Exactly!" Ralph exclaimed.

Tamora joined in the conversation. "Don't you think that the girl might one day fall in love?"

"No. She's too young for a boyfriend. No kissing, no hugging, no touching, no looking at each other, no dating, and so on and so forth!" Ralph snapped. Felix glared at Ralph, irritation boiling inside of him.

"Ralph, she's only nine!

"Exactly too young."

"She's only bonding with a boy. Is that so wrong nowadays?"

"In my head, yes."

"Ralph, you're being insensible about this."

"I'm doing what I think is right, Felix, whether you like it or not!'

Felix shook his head and ran a hand through his hair and looked at his wife. "Tammi, help me," He begged. Calhoun sighed and set down her drink. "Listen, Wreck-it, Vanellope may be a little girl, but you can't keep her from doing certain things, or liking certain people." She advised. "If she likes someone, leave her alone. After all, she's still young. Cut her some slack." Felix nodded and looked at Ralph.

"Ralph, you have to remember that Vanellope is just a young girl-"

"Exactly, too young!" Ralph interrupted. By now things began to escalate from there.

"She's only bonding with a boy. Is that so wrong nowadays?"

"In my head, yes."

"Ralph, you're being insensible about this."

"I'm doing what I think is right, Felix, whether you like it or not!'

"Ladies, easy on the shouting!" Calhoun interrupted. "Besides, here comes the tyke now with the boy now."

They all looked across the bar and twisted their heads to neck a better look. There, making their way to a vacant booth was Vanellope and Rancis. They slid into an available booth as Vanellope called out, "Tapper! Two root beers, please!"

"I don't believe this," Ralph spoke softly, his eyes widened.

"Oh…my…land," Felix added, astounded.

Calhoun laughed at this. "Well, Wreck-it, seems like the kid and Mr. Handsome are getting along just fine." She teased him. But Ralph did not hear a word she just said. A fiery rage was burning in Ralph's eyes as he saw Rancis and Vanellope share a drink together.

"Pretty boy's going to get wrecked... hard," Ralph growled through his clenched teeth.


	3. the truth

_Ch.3_

Ralph watched the two kids, never losing sight of the two. His eyes burning with anger every time Rancis did something cute. Like brushing his fingers against her cheek, or lacing his fingers with hers. It sickened Ralph, to say the least. But it was nothing compared to his boiling anger.

"Ralph, give it a rest," Felix pleaded, throwing his hands up in the air with exasperation. "The boy's innocent."

Ralph looked at the handyman incredulously with his eyebrows all scrunched up like caterpillars. "That boy," he growled, pointing to the two. "Is not innocent. If anything, he's a little trouble maker who's ready to get pounded on." He looked back at the duo, intently staring at them as they spoke in a language Ralph couldn't quite understand. Felix just shook his head.

"I don't know what's worse: you spying on Vanellope and her date, or the fact that you don't trust her," Felix wondered, sighing deeply. "If Vanellope were to find out about this, Ralph, she wouldn't be happy."

"Felix, you don't understand. That good-for-nothing little sneak is kissing up to Vanellope, and she's letting him. King Candy may have said that have to give the kid a chance, but there is absolutely no way I'm letting that skunk worm his way in." he snarled, cracking his knuckles. Calhoun just shook her head at Ralph.

"Imagine what would happen if Vanellope was to ever find out that you're sabotaging her relationship with someone she cares about," Calhoun replied.

Ralph turned and glared at Calhoun, telling her to shut up. "I want to know the truth," Ralph affirmed, his eyes flickering between Felix and Calhoun. "And if that little scum is up to something, I'm going to stop him." Ralph got up and followed the two kids out to the exit, with Calhoun and Felix in tow.

"Something tells me this is a bad idea, Tammi," Felix said, looking at his wife uneasily.

"Knowing Ralph, he's going to do a whole lot of damage," Calhoun added, following the wrecker.

* * *

Ralph tiptoed through the Candy Cane Forest, spying on Vanellope and Rancis. Behind him was Felix and Calhoun, who were at the time, cuddling. Earlier, Ralph peered at them from the corner of his eyes and saw them sucking on each other's faces. It paralyzed Ralph mentally, but then again, he's been through worse, right? Ralph poked his head out from behind a candy cane tree and slightly growled at the sight he was looking at. Rancis and Vanellope were dancing through the forest, their rhythm were in sync. He could not lie, the kid had some skills. He watched Rancis as she dipped Vanellope, staring deep in her eyes.

"Look at him, acting all innocent," Ralph sneered. "When I get my hands on him, I'm going to destroy him!"

"Ralph, let's not jump to conclusions. They may be just friends," Felix suggested.

Ralph raised an eyebrow and watched as Rancis kissed her cheek, anger bubbling inside of him. "Do friends do that?" he inquired. "In Europe, they do!" Felix protested. When the coast was clear, Ralph jumped out into the clearing growling menancingly."Pretty boy wants to act cute, huh?" he growled, charging after them. "Well, he's going to understand what happens when he acts cute with Vanellope!"

"Ralph, wait!" Felix shouted after him. "You're heading straight for a-"

Before Felix could finish his sentence, Ralph lost his footing and tripped in a green sticky substance, sinking deep into it.

"Taffy swamp." Felix deadpanned, smiling at his wife amusingly.

While Ralph was dealing with his own issues, Vanellope was walking alongside Rancis, clutching on to his hand. She was still struggling on the whole issue with Ralph, and every day it grew more stressful and it irritated her. Rancis looked at her and asked in a concern voice, "Are you okay?" She looked at him and shook her head, sighing.

"It's just that I have to tell Ralph soon enough, but it gets really stressful," she confessed, looking at him sadly. "How am I going to tell him now?"

Rancis smiled at her, brushing her bangs out of her face. "Vanellope, it's going to be okay. I'm going to be right there with you." He consoled her. Wrapping his arms around the young girl, he pulled her close and tilted her head upwards so he could look into her hazel eyes more clearly. "I'm not going to leave your side while you and Ralph talk it out." He smirked and caressed her cheek. "Besides, he'll come around some day." Vanellope smiled at this, looking down at her boots. She knew he was right. Ralph would understand, right? She had nothing to worry about. She looked up and beamed at Rancis, her eyes twinkling like sparkling diamonds.

"You think so?"

"I know so."

Vanellope smiled and looked down at her hands. "I guess you have a point. If you're there, then what can go wrong?" she asked, giggling. Rancis smirked, stroking her hair. "You know, we're finally alone." He said, his nose barely touching hers. Vanellope blushed as Rancis wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She put her hand on his shoulders and tried to push him away, but he was stronger than her.

"Stop it, Rancis," she giggled.

"Make me," he teasingly growled, cupping her cheeks, pulling her closer. She closed her eyes as she felt his lips press against hers, savoring the chocolate flavor his lips held. She swathed her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, slowly responding to the kiss. It was going all swell and cheerful for the two, until they felt a tremor under their feet. They pulled apart and looked up, their eyes widening when they saw a taffy-like monster covered in candy charging at them. Vanellope and Rancis immediately dashed for their lives, trying to the monster, but the creature was too fast for them. It grabbed the two of them in its sticky hands and charged downhill, letting out what sounded like a growl to them. Unfortunately, it lost its footing and tripped over a small gumdrop. The three of them screamed, as they tumbled down.

"How on earth did this happen?" Vanellope yelled at Rancis angrily.

"I don't know-OHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Rancis' voice broke into a scream as they bumped into another gumdrop, flying in air. They all screamed as they flailed their arms to help balance. The monster bashed onto the ground, its clammy skin breaking off, with Vanellope and Rancis on top, groaning. Felix and Calhoun ran up to them, panting.

"Are… are you alright?" Felix asked, gasping in between. "Ralph, be careful next time."

The monster that was chasing the two was actually Ralph, who wasn't in the mood right now. He grumbles as he got up. "I was in a rush, okay?" he argued, brushing any debris off his overalls. "Warn me in advance, okay?" He looked down at the ground and saw Vanellope and Rancis lying on the ground, toppled over each other, groaning. "But first, I have some business to do." He snatched Rancis up from the ground and glared at him angrily. "I hope you said your prayers," he growled threateningly, preparing his fists. "Because you're getting a wrecking of your life!"

"No, please," he pleaded, trying to escape his fatal beat down. "I didn't do anything."

"Likely story, smart guy. I saw you flirting with the kid at Tapper's, and dancing with her at the Candy Cane forest. Want to explain yourself, and while you're at it, probably explain why you were kissing her as well?" He asked, getting ready to hit Rancis

"Ralph, stop it! Are you crazy?" Vanellope yelled, getting up. "Put him down!"

"Not until I get an explanation, kid! Why are you two spending so much time together all the sudden?" Ralph demanded.

Vanellope glared at Ralph, her face as red a Jubileena's hat. "Put…him…down...NOW!" she hissed, her eyes glinting dangerously. At this point, the tension between the two created a crowd, who began to watch the spectacle. "Explain to me why this kid made out with you, and I'll let blondie here go!" Ralph yelled.

"I have a name, you know. It's Rancis," Rancis piped in.

"Shut it, blondie, or I'll throw you in the mud!"

That did it. "Stop! Don't you dare threaten my boyfriend like that!" Vanellope snapped. The crowd gasped once they heard this outburst. Felix, Calhoun and Ralph stared at Vanellope in disbelief.

"WHAT? BOYFRIEND?! " they shouted in unison.

Ralph dropped Rancis to the ground, leaving Rancis to hit the ground pretty hard, and gazed at Vanellope in shock and anger. "What do you mean, 'boyfriend?'" Ralph asked, narrowing his eyes at Rancis. "How long has this been going on?" Vanellope helped Rancis to his feet and glanced at the ground, mumbling something inaudible under her breath.

"Vanellope, look at me. How long has his been going on?" Ralph interrogated, his voice getting louder.

"Two weeks, okay?! After Turbo was gone and everything was back to normal, Rancis and I have been talking and hanging out. Then, I guess it turned out better than we thought, because we started… dating." She explained. "I tried to tell you but-"

"But what? You thought you could keep this little relationship going without even telling me? Huh? Is that is?" Ralph shouted at the top of his lungs.

Vanellope started to cry a bit. She wasn't used to being yelled at like this. "Ralph, please. I'm sorry I didn't tell you! Stop yelling at me!" she begged.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! DATING?! YOU THINK YOU'RE CAPABLE OF DATING?! YOU'RE TOO YOUNG FOR A BOYFRIEND- NO KISSING, NO HUGGING, NO TOUCHING, NO LOOKING AT EACH OTHER, _NO DATING!"_

Vanellope looked at Ralph for a while, then glared viciously at him. "Why are you against this anyways? As my friend, should you be happy for me?!" she inquired. "I actually found someone I truly care about, and all you can do is yell at me?!"

"I'm yelling because I'm angry! Not only did you kept this from me, but seeing someone I don't approve of? Really?"

"You don't even talk to Rancis! How would you know what he's like?! You never gave any one here a chance after the game was reset!"

"I'm trying to help you, kid!"

"Oh really? Because it seems like you're helping yourself!"

"And just what is going on here?"

The two stopped arguing and looked up, watching as King Candy emerge from the crowd. "Vanellope, Ralph, care to explain as to why I can hear shouting from the end of the track?" he asked. It was then he noticed that Vanellope began to cry. "Why are you crying, cupcake?" Vanellope looked at her father and pointed at Ralph, tears streaming down her face.

"Ralph is being insensitive. He won't accept the fact that I love Rancis, and Ralph here is being such an idiot!" she screamed, burying her face in her hands.

"What happened was that, to make it plain and simple, Ralph found out about me and Vanellope," Rancis explained, pulling Vanellope in a hug. King Candy nodded in understanding and looked at Ralph. "Ralph, didn't we talk about this? Why are you so against these two anyways?" he asked.

"Yeah, why are you against them?" Candlehead added.

"Isn't it fair to let people be in love with whoever they fall in love with?" Jubileena questioned, holding on to Gloyd's hand.

"With all due and respect, your candiness, wouldn't you be upset to know that your daughter is seeing someone behind your back?" Ralph asked. "Yes, I would. But I would never make my daughter cry, Ralph," King Candy pointed out. "Besides, I already knew about their relationship."

"Wait." Ralph looked at Vanellope dead in the eye. "So you told your dad, but not me, your best friend? I suppose you told the entire game, huh?" he snapped.

"At least my dad was cool about it, Ralph, unlike some people who can't be happy for other people's happiness." She retorted. "What more do you want from me?!"

"This is the same guy who picked on you for fifteen years," Ralph pointed out.

"I would never make fun of Vanellope!" Rancis interrupted. "I'll admit, I made a mistake, we all did, but it was because of Turbo. Turbo's gone, and I know now that I love Vanellope more than anything!" Rancis looked at Vanellope and kissed her forehead, stroking her hair. Vanellope was still crying, but it was enough to reduce her bawling. Vanellope looked at the ground for a while, sniffing, and not saying anything. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke in a soft. "You really want this, do you, Ralph? You don't me to be happy?" she asked. She looked up, tears pouring down her face rapidly. "Aren't you a bit happy that I found someone that cares about me just as much as everyone else here?! Apparantly not, because you only care about youself, you backstabbing, funky-smelling, overgrown rat!" she screamed, pulling away from Rancis' embrace and ran off, tears flowing from her eyes and streaming behind her.

"Vanellope, wait! Let's talk about this!" Rancis called after her, chasing after her, giving Ralph one last look of dismay.

Calhoun walked up to Ralph and slapped the back of his head hard. "Hope you're happy, Wreck- it. You got what you wanted," she snapped, then trotted off, Felix in tow.

"You went too far, Ralph," King Candy said disappointedly.

Ralph sighed and sat on top of a gumdrop, watching the crowd disperse. Some of the racers were even glaring at him in anger for hurting Vanellope's heart. He knew he did that right thing in his case. So why does he feel guilty for some reason?


	4. more chit-chats

_Ch.4_

Vanellope ran into Diet Cola Mountain's entrance, plopping on the gelatin bed, crying loudly. How could Ralph be so harsh to her like that? He never yelled at Vanellope, never. She admits, there were times when they got into arguments, but never about a boy before. Vanellope draped the candy wrappers around her and began to sulk, tears dripping off her face.

"Of all the rudest, cruelest, meanest thing Ralph had to do," she sobbed, burying her face in the marshmallow pillow. "That rat, how could he hurt me like that?"

Just thinking about it got Vanellope all teared up. She sobbed and sobbed her eyesight being blurred due to the excessive tear overflow. She didn't even notice Rancis walking towards her. Rancis frowned at this. He hated seeing his princess so upset. Making his way over to her, he grabbed her chin softly and wiped away her tears. "Figured I'd find you here," he said, kissing her forehead. Vanellope sniffed and looked up, then jumped into Rancis' arms, buying her face in his neck.

"I-if Ralph wasn't so harsh about us, I would have never said anything," Vanellope whimpered, her salty tears soaking through Rancis' jacket.

"Shh, it's all right, Nellie. Don't cry," Rancis cooed her, rubbing her back. "Everything's going to be okay. I'm right here." He pulled away and wiped off the tears that cascaded down her face. "I'm sorry you had to see me like that. It's just that I'm not really used to Ralph screaming at me," Vanellope complained, resting her head on Rancis' shoulder. "I knew he'd be upset. But yelling at me? Threatening you? Rancis, if this is how Ralph is going to be like, why even bother talking to him?" she sighed and collapsed on her bed, rolling on her side. Rancis sighed and sat next to her, nudging Vanellope lightly.

"Hey, don't be like that! I'm sure if you talk to him-"

"Talk to him? After what he said to me?" Vanellope shouted, sitting upright. "What part of, 'if this is how Ralph is going to be like, why even bother talking to him?' do you not understand? I'm not talking to that giant, smelly skunk!"

Rancis rolled his eyes and smiled. "Come on, Vanellope. He's your best friend. You're bound to talk to him someday, you know," he said. Vanellope groaned and laid herself down, sighing heavily. "Even if I did talk to him, he'd just end up yelling at me, Rancis. I want nothing to do with him. Period." She declared. Rancis sighed and played with Vanellope's ponytail, watching her nestling under the candy wrappers.

"I mean, would you try to make amends with someone who did something terribly wrong and just forgive them?"

"Uh, you did." Rancis pointed out. "You forgave us after the game was reset, despite the fact that we tormented you for a long time."

"That doesn't count!" she exclaimed, her face flustered. She sighed and looked at him, her face tearing up. "All I wanted was for Ralph to see past the vain Rancis, and befriend the super sweet Rancis. How'd I end up in this mess, butterfingers? What did I do wrong?" she closed her eyes and wept silently in her hands, her tears falling faster and faster. Rancis felt a pang of guilt hit his stomach. He couldn't stand to see his girlfriend in this state. Just watching this sad moment made him want to cry, too. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer.

"It's okay, Vanellope. Ralph's not here now, so don't even think about him," he said in a comforting tone. "All that matters is that we're together now, so let's take advantage of this time before Ralph comes back."

Vanellope sniffed and turned on her side, facing Rancis. She stared into his bright blue eyes and smiled, wiping off the tears off her face. "Rancis, even if Ralph doesn't accept you, will you still love me?" she asked in a quiet tone. Rancis smiled and kissed her lightly on her lips. "Forever and always." He replied. She smiled and buried her head in his chest, slowly falling sound asleep. Rancis watched Vanellope as she slept peacefully, kissing her forehead.

"Sweet dreams, princess. Sweet dreams."

* * *

"You went too far, Ralph!"

While Rancis went to talk to Vanellope, King Candy was giving Ralph an earful. He was quite furious, to say the least. Calhoun and Felix was there as well, watching as Ralph get harshly scolded by the king.

"Not only did you cause a scene, you completely broke my daughter's heart, which I have to tend by the time she comes home. What do you have to say for yourself?!"

Ralph held up his hands in defense, trying to protect himself from the monarch's serious words. "I did what I thought was right, you candiness. You, being Vanellope's father, should keep her from making a horrible mistake. I was just doing what I thought was right." Ralph argued. "Ralph, what you did was beyond helping. You only made things worse. And I'm pretty sure Vanellope is quite upset right now," King Candy shot back. "If anything, Vanellope is upset. I know my daughter, Ralph, I can see it in her eyes."

"King's right, Wreck-it. You went too far on this one. I'd think it'd be best if you just let it go-"

"I'm not letting anything go until those two are separated from each other…. For good!" Ralph bellowed out. "Pretty face or whatever is name is the worst of them all, and I'm not having that mushiness go on between them!"

King Candy shook his head in dismay. "Ralph, you don't need to do this. Stop this foolish idea of yours before it gets out of hand." He advised. "And trust me; it will get out of hand." Felix nodded and smiled nervously. "Ralph, now we understand how you're feeling right now, but do you honestly think separating a boy from Vanellope is going to help anything?" Felix asked. "Ralph, please. Don't do something you'll later regret." Ralph stared at Felix and shook his head.

"Felix, you don't get it. None of you do! Vanellope is out there with a boy, and you think I'm going to sit back and let that kid manipulate Vanellope like that? Wrong. I'm going to stop him from ever messing with Vanellope, whether you support me or not!" Ralph snapped, heading towards the door. Calhoun walked up at him and placed a hand on his bulky shoulder. Ralph turned around and stared at the sergeant dead in the eye.

"You really want to cost your friendship with that little girl all because of some pretty boy?" she demanded. "Why is it so hard to accept one's happiness, huh? As her best friend, don't you think you should support her decision?"

"Vanellope's only a kid! She doesn't know what's she's getting herself into?" Ralph protested. "One day, she's going to look back and say 'what was I thinking?' and I'm going to be there to fix her mess."

"You mean the mess that you have already created?" King Candy inquired.

Ralph glared at King Candy with an evil eye. "Listen, your puffiness. You and Vanellope may not appreciate what I'm doing for the both of you. And I can see that you're still on Wacky Island. So let me just make it clear: I'm keeping those two apart, whether you guys like it or not," Ralph snarled viciously. "As king of _Sugar Rush, _and as Vanellope's father, I forbid you from doing such a thing." King Candy sneered back. Ralph just glared at the monarch and shoved his finger in his chest.

"Watch me," he scoffed, storming out of the Throne room.

Everyone stared at Ralph as he walked out, slamming the door behind him. King Candy sighed and turned to look at Calhoun and Felix. "Can I count on you two to talk Ralph out of this?" he asked hopefully. Felix took off his hat and shook his head. "I don't know if we can talk Ralph out of it, but I promise, you candiness, that I will prevent Ralph from making such a mistake. This I swear!" he declared, sticking his hand up in the air. Putting his hat on, he dashed out through the door, yelling, "Ralph, you don't know what you're doing!" with Calhoun in tow.


	5. the incident

_Ch.5_

It has been merely a week since the fight between Vanellope and Ralph, and just as King Candy, Felix, and Calhoun had expected, Ralph had gone over the top with this one. Everyday he'd stop by _Sugar Rush _and whenever he saw Vanellope with Rancis, he'd either drag Vanellope away from Rancis, or he'd take Rancis and fling him into the chocolate lake. Either way, Ralph and Vanellope has gone into a fight. King Candy, at the moment, was in the throne room, pondering what he should do, Sour Bill at his side.

"I'm worried, Sour Bill," King Candy began, biting on his lip.

"What is the problem, sire?" Sour Bill asked, looking at the king.

"As you probably may know, Ralph is having some trust issues with Vanellope's relationship with Rancis. What I'm concerned is if he'll really take action and try to stop Vanellope from seeing the one she truly loves." King Candy explained, getting up from his throne and walking to the balcony, overlooking the game. "And Vanellope isn't doing as well as it is. I fear that if this goes on, someone may end up getting hurt physically." Sour Bill trailed after the king

"So… do you by any chance know were Wreck-it Ralph is?"

* * *

While King Candy was talking to Sour Bill, Ralph was spying on Vanellope and Rancis in the Candy Cane forest behind a candy cane tree. You'd think he'd drop this whole overprotective jazz he got going on, but instead, he has been keeping an eye on the two. He watched as Rancis draped an arm around Vanellope's shoulder and growled as he kissed her cheek.

"I knew that kid was no good. Being all cute and innocent. Why I ought to punch him in his guts and throw in against the penthouse," he growled, clenching his fists.

Vanellope looked up and gazed towards Ralph's hiding spot, looking at it warily. Rancis said something unclear, but it was enough to keep Vanellope moving. Once those two were out of sight, Ralph crept behind them, trying to stay quiet. "When I get my hands on that little pest, I'm going to-"

"Don't even think about it, Wreck-it."

He turned around and saw Felix and Calhoun behind him, looking stern. "We won't let you do this, Ralph. Vanellope's heart may not be important to you, but it's a very crucial part of her. We won't let you do this." Calhoun said, walking towards him. Ralph took a step back, preparing his fists if he ever needed it. Felix walked toward him, trying to calm Ralph down without having him go on a tantrum.

"Now, Ralph, you don't need to do this. Why don't we go back home and have some of Mary's pie and forget this all happened, huh? Doesn't that sound lovely?" Felix asked soothingly.

Ralph shook his head and turned around, glaring at the couple in the distance. "I'm not going anywhere until those two are separated from each other," he growled.

Ralph ran after the two, running after two, with Felix and Calhoun in tow. He ducked behind a large gumdrop and tried to catch a glimpse of the two but his view was blocked by a large herd of uni-candy-corns that were nearby, calmly munching on some candy that was lying around.

"Buzz off, you monsters! Trying to spy on that rodent," he whispered harshly, waving his arm around to try to catch their attention.

"Ralph, no, someone's going to get hurt," Felix warned cautiously. "When will understand true love when you see it?"

Ralph turned around and walked closer to Felix, inch by inch, his face growing red. "That is not true love. All I see is some blond-haired, blue-eyed pretty boy who's obviously not compatible for Vanellope," he raged, his voice getting higher and higher. "He thinks he can just come in and sweep her off her feet like some fairytale? Wrong! I will keep him from seeing Vanellope if it's the last thing I do!"

Ralph turned around and smashed his fists right against the ground, causing a powerful booming sound, loud enough to scare the uni-candy-corns into a frenzy. They whinnied and bucked their hooved in the air, going all crazy. Soon they ran off to where Vanellope and Rancis were.

"Oh no, this is not good," Felix moaned.

"Fix-it, Wreck-it, we need to stop that herd before someone gets hurt," Calhoun ordered.

So they all ran after the charging uni-candy-corns, hoping to stop the stampede before it's too late. Meanwhile, Vanelllope and Rancis were just taking a sweet stroll around _Sugar Rush_, just talking. Rancis took Vanellope's hand and kissed it, making her smile. Rancis squeezed her hand gently and looked in her eye.

"So what do you want to do today?" he asked.

"Run."

Rancis looked at her, perplexed and cocked his head to the other side. "Since when were you the running type?" he joked. Vanellope shook her head and pointed over his shoulder. "No. RUN!" she screamed. Rancis looked over his shoulder and bolted like lightning the second he saw the stampede of uni-candy-corns heading their way. They ran and ran, trying to escape the wild herd. Vanellope saw the other racers and citizens and shrieked, "RUN! THERE'S A STAMPEDE ON OUR TAIL!" they looked at her as if she was crazy, but immediately ran once they saw the herd. They all screamed and ran towards Game Central Station for shelter. Vanellope ran as fast she could, looking over her shoulder and seeing the stampede gaining on them. She turned gaze in front of her and looked at Rancis, frightened. "What do we do?" she asked. Rancis screeched to a stop at looked at Vanellope, pointing to where the others were.

"Vanellope, go over to Game Central Station. You'll be safe there," he said. "Let me take care of these guys."

"Rancis, you'll get hurt! You're crazy!" she protested.

Rancis smiled and kissed her cheek. "I am crazy. Crazy in love with you," he replied.

Not letting Vanellope go on, he ran off towards the stampede. "I won't let them hurt you, GO!" he yelled, punching a uni-candy-corn in its muzzle. Vanellope nodded and continued her way towards Game Central Station. She slowed down just as she ran through the gates and panting heavily, falling to her knees. Taffyta, Candlehead and King Candy confronted Vanellope, a worried look on their faces.

"Are you okay, Vanellope?" the king asked, helping her to her feet.

She nodded but looked back at _Sugar Rush, _thinking about Rancis. "We need to back. Rancis is still there, fighting off the uni-candy-corns!" she exclaimed, heading back. King Candy shook his head and put a hand on her shoulder. "We can't go back until the stampede calms down. We may be here for a while," he said, stroking her face. Vanellope pouted and buried her face in her hands, tears trickling down her face for support. They stayed for what seemed like ten minutes, until Wynnchel and Duncan came in.

"It's safe to come back. The stampede stopped," they reported.

The crowd cheered and ran back in but gasped at the damage in front of them. They slowed down their running once they reached the speed, scanning the area around them. Many of the karts were damaged, along with everything else in sight, and some things were just scattered around the ground. Vanellope looked around to see if Rancis was around, but found nothing.

"Rancis? Rancis where are you?" she called out.

Taffyta and Candlehead ran up to her, their expressions looking concern. "You need to see this," Taffyta said, grabbing a hold of her hand. They led her to were they found a boy lying on the ground, unconscious. His clothes was torn up, and blood was oozing down his left leg, not to mention the scratches on his face.

"Rancis," Vanellope gasped, falling to her knees.

She picked up his head and gently shook him, trying to wake him up. "Rancis, are you okay? Rancis, rancis?" she cried out, desperately shaking him He moaned slightly and his eyes fluttered open, looking at Vanellope. "Princess, are you okay?" he moaned. Vanellope shook her head and smiled, stroking his messy hair.

"Yeah. You okay?"

Rancis frowned and shook his head. "Not really, but as long as you're okay, then I'm happy." He admitted. Vanellope smiled at this, and nuzzled her nose with his. "Why'd you do it, Rancis? You could have gotten hurt." She asked. Rancis smiled, his eyelids slowly closing.

"I did it because I love you…"

Rancis closed his eyes and laid in her arm lifeless. Vanellope shook him trying to wake him up, but he wouldn't budge. "Rancis, Rancis, wake up. Wake up, Rancis! Rancis, wake up! Someone call 911, stat!" she wailed. King Candy made his way over and hugged his sobbing daughter, trying to console her. It wasn't long until the ambulance came and took Rancis to the hospital. Vanellope watched as the ambulance drove off into the horizon, her forlorn face looking into the distance.

"I wonder why the uni-candy-corns acted up, " King Candy thought out loud.

At that moment, Felix and Calhoun emerged from the crowd with a guilty looking Ralph tagging along. "But I think I know _who_ caused this." King Candy added, crossing his arms. "Please tell me you didn't do something wreckless, Ralph." Calhoun grabbed Ralph's left ear and shoved him in front of the monarch. "You got something to say?" she said, pinching his ear.

"I was spying on Vanellope and Rancis and I accidentally slammed my fists into the ground, causing the uni-candy-corns to go berserk!" he confessed, yelping in pain.

"Wait… you did WHAT?!"

Vanellope turned around, her eyes flashing with anger. "You were spying on me? Why am I not surprised?" she yelled. "I hope you're happy now, Ralph, because you just sent my Rancis to the hospital! Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"Kid. Look I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"You didn't mean to, I didn't know this would happen, it's not my fault! You think I'm going to forgive you after this? After you sent my boyfriend to the hospital?"

Ralph began to lose his patience with Vanellope and yelled, "He deserved to be in the hospital! That what he gets when he dates an obnoxious, spoiled, rotton, bratty nine-year-old princess!" The crowd gasped at Ralph's comment, shocked. Ralph, realizing on what he had just said, kneeled down to her.

"Vanellope, I didn't mean it. I-"

."You know what? Fine, I don't care anymore! You want to be a hater, fine! Go ahead, I'm not your friend anymore!" she shrieked, walking off. "If I knew you would have done something so mean, Ralph, I would have never told you in the first place about me and rancis." And with that, Vanellope ran off, leaving everyone else in the dust. Ralph stared after her in disbelief, when he heard clapping behind him. He turned around and saw King Camdy clapping his hands, glaring at him angrily.

"I applaud you, Ralph. You have succeeded. Now what are you going to do?" he asked.

"We told you this would happen, Ralph," Felix said.

"But you didn't listen." Calhoun added. "Now, that poor boy is going to the hospital, and you just lost yourself a friend. Do you feel accomplished?"

With that, the crowd dispersed, shaking their head at Ralph, commenting him. Some of the racers had even kicked him in his shins. "What have I done?" he asked himself, groaning in pain.


	6. at the hospital

_Ch.6_

Vanellope stared out the window at the hospital's waiting room, watching the chocolate rain shower fall heavily outside. She just reached the hospital and has been waiting for a doctor to inform her about Rancis for almost thirty minutes. She sighed and turned her gaze at wall clock, gazing at it while the hands ticked slowly.

"Of all the unforgivable, cruelest, nastiest little scheme a game character can ever think of…" she growled under her breath.

She shook her head and looked down at her wrist. Pushing the hoodie sleeve up a bit, she stared at a bracelet with reese's pieces resembling as beads and a mini reese's cup attached to it. It was the first thing Rancis gave her on the day Rancis had asked her out. She closed her eyes and smiled as she remembered that very moment.

*flashback*

"_Here you go, Nellie. I figured since we're a couple now, you'd want something from me."_

_Rancis gave Vanellope a brown box with an yellow ribbon and smiled. "Hope you like it. Made it myself," he said. Vanellope undid the ribbon and took of the top, her eyes widening in awe. She gingerly held up a bracelet with reese's pieces as beads and a mini reese's cup attached to it as a little charm. _

"_Aw, you made this for me? That's so sweet you! Thank you!" she squealed, slipping it onto her wrist. She smiled at Rancis and hugged him. "You're the sweetest boyfriend ever!"_

*end flashback*

She opened her eyes and looked down at her bracelet. "Rancis did all this just for me," she murmured, turning her gaze back out through the window. "How come Ralph can't see the good in him? Why can't Ralph see the good in people, or at least Rancis anyways?" Taking a deep, she heaved out a sigh and continued staring at the now pouring rain outside.

"Vanellope?"

She sighed and continued to watch the rain fall down. "Leave me alone, Taffyta. I don't want to talk to anyone," She mumbled. Taffyta sat down next to Vanellope and looked at her apprehensively. "But you've been sitting here for thirty minutes, just watching the rain." She complained. "If you want to talk about, I'm here for you." Vanellope turned her gaze at Taffyta and frowned. "It had nothing to do with you. It's my business, so I have to deal with it alone. Now leave me alone!" she demanded, looking out through the window.

"But-"

"What part of leave me alone don't you understand?!" she yelled ferociously.

Taffyta looked at Vanellope and walked away, shrugging at King Candy. "I tried your majesty. She just won't talk to us," she said, sitting next to Candlehead. "She must be pretty upset about the fight with Ralph." King Candy sighed and stared at Vanellope. "Ever since Ralph found out about Vanellope and Rancis, Vanellope has been quite distraught. She won't eat her dinner, and she cries herself to sleep every night. I've tried to talk to her, but she won't let me. I don't know what else to do," he replied.

"Maybe if we talk to Ralph-"

"No, that'll only make things worse. Besides, Vanellope would be furious if we were to speak to Ralph." King Candy got up and adjusted his jacket. "Let me see if I can speak to her." King Candy walked towards Vanellope and sat down, softly brushing her hair.

"Leave me alone, dad. I told everyone else that I want to be alone. Please, I just don't want to talk to anyone right now," she begged.

"Vanellope, you're making me worry. You haven't said anything ever since we got here, and you sat in this very spot, just staring at the pouring rain." He said agitatedly, looking out the window to the that the chocolate rain had began to fall down even harder. "I'm not saying anything until someone tells me that Rancis is okay." She mumbled.

"Vanellope-"

"Dad, stop! I really don't want to talk about it, so please just leave me alone!" she beseeched, sniffing a bit. "Rancis is hurt, lying down in a hospital bed. I have enough to worry about at the time being!"

"Is that all you're concerned about, darling?" the king asked dubiously. Vanellope looked at him for a while, her eyes slightly watering. She didn't say anything for a while, but stared at her hands quietly. Finally, after a quiet moment of silence, Vanellope spoke up. "After Rancis and I officially became a couple, he wanted me to tell Ralph. But every time I even mention Rancis, Ralph just goes berserk," she explained, her voice cracking. "I figured Ralph would be mad if I told him, so I waited until he was in a good mood."

"But you never told him since, correct?" King Candy asked.

Vanellope shook her head sadly and brushed her bangs back. "I was going to, but the time never came up." She admitted, taking a deep breath. "I knew Ralph would be mad because I hid the fact that I was dating Rancis, but I'd never suspect he'd cause a stampede and send Rancis to the hospital. If Ralph was a true friend, he'd be at least happy that I actually fell in love with someone who loves me and cares about me for a who I am? How many girls have Ralph fell in love with over the past thirty years in his life? Ralph doesn't know the first thing about love! Who is he to tell me that I can't be Rancis when he himself haven't even fell in love with a single chick in his entire life?!" she screamed virulently. She hid her face in her hands and sobbed, the tears falling down abundantly. King Candy frowned sympathetically at this distraught daughter and patted his lap.

"Come here, sweetheart," he said.

Vanellope crawled onto his lap and clung on to his jacket and continued to cry. "It's not fair!" she moaned. King Candy shushed her quietly and smiled, stroking her cheek gently. "I understand how you feel, Vanellope, but you can't force Ralph to like Rancis. You have to give him some time to think it over." He advised her.

"But I have given him time!" she disputed. "All he's ever done is yell at me just for seeing Rancis!"

"Vanellope, listen to me. Ralph doesn't understand the true meaning of love. Give him some time to calm down a bit and to think it over. He'll come around. I promise you everything will be all right." He assured her. Vanellope sniffed and looked at him, a small glisten flashed in her eyes.

"Promise?"

King Candy smiled and kissed Vanellope's forehead. "Promise." Vanellope beamed at her father and hugged him, squeezing him tightly. "You know, Vanellope. You're lucky to have someone like Rancis who was went out and risked his life for your sake, Vanellope." He added. Vanellope smiled softly brushed her bangs back.

"He did say was crazy for me," she replied, chuckling softly.

At that moment, the doctor walked in the waiting room, a clipboard in her hands. "Princess Vanellope, may I speak to you for a minute?" she asked. Vanellope looked up and jumped up from her father's lap, running towards him. "Is he okay? Is my boyfriend okay?" she asked frantically. The doctor smiled at the young girl and nodded. "I just finished examining him. He's all right. Other than some scratches and bruises, he's good to go. And," he smiled crouched down and looked at her in the eye. "He wishes to speak to you." Vanellope looked at him, and smiled. "Thank you, doctor." She said, giving him a hug. She pulled away and slowly opened the door, looking in the room. She saw Rancis lying in the hospital bed, twiddling with his fingers. He looked and smiled at Vanellope.

"Hi, Nellie," he greeted.

"Rancis, you're okay!" she squealed, running towards him. She crawled on his bed and hugged him tightly, sobbing. "Please, don't you ever do that again, ever! You scared me half to death, you idiot!" she cried, snuggling her face in his neck for comfort. Rancis smiled and sat up, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. "I'm sorry if I scared you, but I couldn't let anyone or anything hurt you!" he replied. "You're the only thing I care about the most in this entire game." Vanellope pulled away and looked at him deep in his eyes.

"I thought I lost you," she whispered sadly.

"I'm not going anywhere without you," he answered.

Vanellope smiled through her tears, cupping his cheeks and nuzzling her nose against his. Rancis smirked and leaned in, kissing her lips. Vanellope, whose face was blushing like crazy, slowly kissed back, playing with his messy hair. After a while, they pulled apart for air and smiled at each other, quietly panting. Vanellope chuckled and rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes.

"You don't mind, do you?" she asked, not bothering to look at him.

"Of course not, Nellie," he answered, pulling her closer. As the two cuddled up with each other, the others were in the waiting room, killing time by watching television, while the king spoke with the doctor. "I can't thank you enough Dr. Goodbar. You are truly a life saver," King Candy exclaimed. "After this, my little girl may finally sleep happily." Dr. Goodbar smiled and patted the monarch on his back. "Not to worry, my good man. I'd do anything for a friend of mine," he answered with a smile. He stroked his mustache and glanced at the children. "Perhaps you can enlighten me about how this poor boy got hurt."

"Oh, that's easy. Vanellope's best friend Ralph got loco and began wrecking, which caused a stampede of uni-candy-corns. Rancis risked his life for Vanellope so he wouldn't get hurt," Candlehead blurted out.

"Candlehead! It has nothing to do with us. Stay out of this!" Crumbelina scolded.

Dr. Goodbar looked at King Candy, bewildered. "Is that true, your candiness? Doesn't he know how dangerous those creatures can be?" he inquired. King Candy sighed and nodded his head. "Unfortunately, yes. His rage got the best of him. But let's not discuss about this. Will Rancis be alright?" the king inquired.

"Not to worry, my friend. Mr. Fluggerbutter will be alright, but he won't be able to leave the hospital until tomorrow," He informed the king. "I should make sure he knows that. Excuse me for one minute."

Dr. Goodbar walked into Rancis' room, and smiled. "King Candy, come look at this. It's adorable!" he chuckled. Everyone looked at each other and walked into the room, fawning over the adrable sight in front of them. There, Rancis was gently rocking and whispering to a slumbering Vanellope in his arms. He looked up and shrugged, chuckling. "She just fell asleep on me. I didn't know what else to do," he explained, smiling sheepishly.

"Aw, look at Vanellope! She looks so cute and innocent while she's sleeping!" Taffyta gushed, her hands clasped on her cheeks.

"Indeed she does," King Candy agreed. He walked over to her and slightly nudged her. "Vanellope, darling? Wake up," he whispered. She moaned and buried her face in Rancis' chest, mumbling, "Five more minutes." King Candy smiled and continued to nudge her. Finally, Vanellope's eyes fluttered open and she looked at her father with tired eyes. "Hey, daddy," she moaned, yawning.

"Alright, come on. It's past your bedtime, young lady," the king chuckled, scooping her in her arms. "Can I at least say bye to Rancis? Please?" Vanellope begged in a tired voice. King Candy sighed and placed Vanellope back on the bed. Vanellope smiled at Rancis and hugged him, rummaging her hands through his hair. "I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay?"

"'kay. I love you, Nelllie."

"I love you too, buttercup."

Hugging each other one last time and sharing a brief kiss, They pulled apart and waved goodbye. Vanellope and the others walked out and headed to the exit, saying goodbye. "Are you happy now, Vanellope? Now you know that Rancis is okay?" Jubileena asked. Vanellope smiled and nodded, her cheeks slightly tinted red. "Yeah. As long as Rancis is okay, I'm happy." She admitted. King Candy smiled at this and picked up Vanellope, kissing her cheek.

"Now come along, young lady. You need to get in bed."

"Aw, dad!" Vanellope complained, resting her head on his shoulders and closing her eyes drowsily.

* * *

While the others were at the hospital, Ralph was hanging out in Tapper's. He was thinking about the whole incident, wondering if he had gone too far. He just sat at the booth, staring at his root beer intently, while his mind was crammed up with questions.

"What have I done?" he wondered aloud. "What did I just do?"

H shook his head and sipped his beverage, when Tapper walked up to him. "Hey, Ralph. Why the long face, hm?" he asked, cleaning up the counter. Ralph looked at him with a guilty expression on his face. "I just made the worst mistake in my entire life," he responded surreptitiously. Tapper looked at Ralph skeptically.

"Well, what's you do?" he asked.

So Ralph explained to Tapper everything: Ralph, finding out about Vanellope's relationship, Ralph and Vanellope arguing about Ralph's actions, and the incident that recently occurred. Tapper listened intently to the story, not saying anything. Finally, after Ralph's explanation, Tapper said, "Well, Ralph, King Candy, Felix, and Calhoun are right. Sounds like you took it to another level. But I'm sure everything will be okay."

"How do you figure? Kid hates me," Ralph pointed out.

"Then you only have one thing left to do: apologize. Ralph, you did something wrong, so you have to fix it. You really wrecked this up, so now it's your turn to fix things back to its original state, before you do some serious damage." Tapper recommended. Someone called Tapper's name from across the bar. "I gotta run, duty calls. I'l see you later, Ralph," he said, walking away. Ralph sighed and drank his root beer.

"Maybe they were right. I did go too far. Vanellope was right… maybe I am worse than Turbo," he mumbled.

Ralph sighed heavily and chugged the remainder of his root beer, staring at the empty glass. "Tapper's right. I wrecked this mess, and I'm going to fix it." He declared, getting up and walking towards the exit.


	7. i forgive you

_Ch.7_

The night had passed by so quickly and once again it was another day. Vanellope stirred in her bed, groaning and softly mumbling out Rancis' name. She groaned out loud and slowly sitting up, rubbing the drowsiness from her eyes. She looked at her clock that sat on her dresser and gaped at it in shock. She snatched the clock off the counter and glanced at it, then slammed it back on the dresser and jumped out of bed, pulling off her pamjamas.

"No, no, no! I overslept! I'm supposed to meet Rancis in twenty minutes!" she yelled at herself.

Rushing into the bathroom, she hopped into the tub and quickly showered, brushing her teeth at the same time. She rinsed off and leaped out of the tub, drying herself out. After a few minutes fumbling with her clothes, she was neatly dressed in her usual attire. Satisfied with her choice, she bolted out of the door and ran down the stairs, repeatedly chanting, "Can't be late, can't be late, can't be late!" she dashed into the kitchen, where her father was sitting and drinking his coffee, and plopped on the chair, gobbling down on her cereal. King Candy and Sour Bill stared at Vanellope with a strange look.

"Good morning, daddy, Sour Bill! How was your night! My night as fantastic, thanks for asking! I take it you're well! That's nice to see! I'd love to say and chat but I have to go meet Rancis at the hospital! Thanks, love you, bye!" she rambled out, gulping down the remainder of her reese's puffs and scurried out the door.

"Vanellope?" King Candy called after her.

She poked her head back in the kitchen and glanced at him. "Yes, dad?" she asked.

"Are you going to see Rancis with your hair in such a mess?"

Vanellope felt her hair and moaned in frustration. She ran up the stairs and bolted into her room, snatching a brush. She brushed and brushed her hair hurriedly until it was glossy smooth. She scattered candy all over and used her licorice hair tie to pull in up in a ponytail. Now satisfied with her outfit, she ran out the door, dashed down the stairs and ran out the front door.

"Bye dad!"

She closed the front door behind her and hopped into her kart. She started up her kart and drove to the hospital. "Please let me reach the hospital in time!" she pleaded to herself. She passed the racetrack, zipped past volcano, and screeched to a stop in front of the hospital. She jumped out of the ride, and snatched a bag out of the kart, then ran towards the entrance. She ran to the receptionist's desk and panted heavily.

"I… Rancis…fluggerbutter?" she gasped out, clutching her chest.

She smiled at the young girl and pointed to his room. Vanellope walked towards his room and knocked lightly on his door. "Come in," Rancis' voice called out. Vanellope pushed open the door and smiled at Rancis, who was sitting down in bed eating Reese's Puffs and watching Regular Show. He looked up and smiled oddly at her.

"Morning, Nellie. Why's your face all red?" he asked.

Vanellope walked over to him and leaned on the bed. "I…rushed here….this morning," she explained through her heavily panting. She smiled and kissed him, then handed him the bag. "I figured you'd want to wear something clean, since you're leaving today," she said. Rancis peered in and saw some spare clothes that was inside the bag. He looked at her with such appreciation in his eyes.

"Thanks," he said.

Vanellope nodded and headed towards the door. "I'll wait for you outside, 'kay?" she said, then closed the door behind her when Rancis nodded his head. She sighed and walked into the waiting room, sitting down and stared at the ceiling. She shook her head and ran a hand through her hair. She lowered her head and shifted in her seat a bit. She shoved her had in her hoodie pocket and pulled out a picture of her and Ralph, smiling at the camera. Vanellope frowned a bit when her eyes shifted to a smiling Ralph, who gave the camera a thumbs up. A small tear slowly descended down her cheek as she closed her eyes, remembering all the good times they had together.

"Why did you do this, Ralph? Why?" she murmured softly under her breath.

After a moment of silence, Rancis came out, wearing a plain white T-shirt under his racing jacket, brown pants and sneakers. He looked at Vanellope and frowned a bit. "You okay, Nellie?" he asked. She looked up and smiled, wiping off the tears so Rancis couldn't see them. "Yeah… come on, let's get out of here. I want to eat some treats." She got and grabbed his hands, dragging him towards the exit.

"Nellie, is it okay if we stop by my house for a minute?" he asked once they walked out of the door. "I just want to take a bath, and then we can do what you want to do."

"Sure, Rancis. I'm in no hurry at all," she replied. "You ride the kart. My legs are sore." Rancis shrugged and hopped in the kart, carefully helping Vanellope on his lap. He started up the kart and rode off towards Rancis' house. Vanellope stayed quiet on the way home, not even looking at Rancis. Rancis looked at her, a bit troubled. After a while they came up to Rancis' home. Vanellope jumped out of Rancis' lap and headed up for the front door. Rancis turned off the engine and jogged up to the front porch. He unlocked the door and walked in. Vanellope closed the door and plopped on the couch.

"Wait here for me?" he asked, smiling.

"It's not like I'm going anywhere," she said.

Rancis smiled and walked in his room, leaving Vanellope alone. Vanellope pulled her legs onto the couch and lied on her stomach, listening to the water spraying against the shower walls. Digging into her hoodie pocket, she once again pulled out the picture of her and Ralph. She stared at Ralph's face and closed her eyes, the memories of her and Ralph replaying in her mind.

'_Ralph was always there for me, even when I thought when I didn't need him," _she thought._ 'Why is now so any different from all those other times?!'_

The thought was just unbearable for Vanellope to even think about. She buried her face into a couch pillow and sobbed softly. She closed her eyes tight as she cried, silently wishing that this was all a dream. She felt something lick the tip of her fingertips, making it damp and moist. She cracked her eyes open and looked up, seeing a small devil puppy lapping its tongue on her fingertips. She smiled at it and rubbed its head, watching as it panted in content.

"Where'd you come from, huh little guy?" she asked.

The small pooch stood on its hind legs and licked Vanellope's face, as if to cheer her up. Vanellope giggled at this and sat up, picking up the puppy. "Are you Rancis' puppy? Is Rancis your master?" she asked. She ten noticed a cookie collar on its neck and examined it. "'To Nellie," she read flipping it over. "'From your buttercup?'"

"I see you've met your gift," Rancis said, walking out of his room, wearing his usual outfit. Vanellope looked at him with perplexity. "Rancis, where did you get her?" she asked. Rancis shrugged and shook the water out of his hair. "It's actually a stray. I found it looking hungry in the Candy Cane forest, so I took it here and fed it some food. She really likes Reese's. Then I thought of you," he explained. "I knew you wanted one since you were a little girl, so I've been taking care of it until I got it to you."

"You did all this just for me?" she asked him.

Rancis looked at her. He cupped her cheeks and pulled her face into a kiss, shocking her a bit. After a while, he pulled away and stared into her hazel eyes. "I'd you anything for you, Vanellope. I love you," he whispered. Vanellope smiled and hugged him, burying her face in her shoulders. Rancis embraced her tightly and rubbed her back. "You know you mean the world to me, right?" Rancis inquired. "Of course I do, Rancis. You know that," she replied. "If only Ralph could see that too." Rancis frowned at the statement. He pulled away from Vanellope and looked into her eyes.

"Why does he hate me so much?" he inquired.

"I don't know, Rancis. I just don't know why someone would hate such a handsome devil. It just doesn't make any sense," she answered. "Oh well."

She pulled Rancis over to the couch and sat down with him, lying her head on his shoulder. The devil puppy jumped onto the couch and stuck her snout in her hoodie pocket. Vanellope looked at the puppy and raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Hey, what are you doing?" she chuckled. The little pooch pulled out some Reese's puff and barked. Vanellope giggled and took the snack from its mouth.

"I told you she likes Reese's," Rancis replied, draping an arm around her shoulder.

"Then it's fair that I'll call you Reese," she said, handing her new pet an unwrapped reese's cup.

The two laughed at Reese, who smacked the treat out of Vanellope's hand and gobbled it up, with bits of peanut butter and chocolate all over her mouth. Rancis smiled and rubbed Vanellope's shoulder. "Don't worry about Ralph, Nellie. He'll come around," he reassured her. Vanellope sighed and looked at him in the eye.

"What if he tries to take me away from you?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm not going anywhere without you," he declared, kissing Vanellope's forehead.

* * *

Throughout the day, Rancis and Vanellope had spent the day together. After watching some Regular Show and eating some Reese's puffs, Rancis and Vanellope had decided to hang out at Vanellope's place. The two parked in front of the castle and walked in. "Won't your dad be mad if he found out that you have a puppy?" Rancis asked, eying Reese dubiously. Vanellope shrugged and smiled. "Knowing my dad, he'll probably go on about responsibility. So I wouldn't worry," she answered. They stopped in the middle of the corridor and Vanellope looked around, confused.

"Speaking of my dad, where is he?" she wondered aloud. "Daddy? I'm home!"

They walked into the throne room and found the entire citizens of Sugar Rush smiling and holding a banner that said, "Welcome Back, Rancis!" The crowd cheered when the saw Rancis' smiling face. "Aw, guys! Thanks so much!" he said. "You knew about this, Nellie?" Vanellope shrugged and shook her head. "I'm just surprised as you are!" She admitted, taking his hand and pulled him towards the crowd. "But as long as there's candy, I'm not missing out on it!" Rancis smiled as Vanellope dragged him over. The crowd circled around him, praising and clapping him, some even patting him on them back. King Candy confronted him with a golden medal dangling in his hands.

"Rancis Fluggerbutter, I'd like to thank for saving Vanellope from the stampede. And to show my appreciation, I'd like for you to have this medal," he said.

Rancis smiled and took it from him, hanging it around his neck. The crowd cheered once again as King Candy raised his arm up in the air. Vanellope leaned in and asked in his ear over the soft blaring music, "Rancis, will you watch Reese for me?" Rancis looked at her and nodded. She smiled at him and walked out of the ballroom. Rancis picked up Reese and stroked her coat.

"Rancis!"

Rancis turned around and smiled at Felix and Calhoun, who was standing in front of him. "We just want to thank you again for saving Vanellope from that raging stampede," Felix said. "We are sompletely sorry for Ralph's behavior. We didn't know he was this furious with the two of you."

"We didn't think this would happen," Calhoun added. "We're sorry, kiddo."

Rancis smiled and waved off. "No it's okay, Really. I've been through worse. Literally," Rancis replied. "As long as Vanellope's okay, then I'm happy." Calhoun smiled and crossed her arms. "You really like this girl, don't you?"

"Are you kidding? I love Vanellope! She's the most prettiest girl in this game, in this arcade even!" he exclaimed, his face red. "She's sweet, kind, funny, and sassy, but in a cute way. I love the way she giggles, and the way her face gets flushed when she's shy or nervous or even embarrassed. And sometimes, just sometimes, she'd sing just for me." Rancis smiled and closed his eyes, his face getting redder.

"Girls like Vanellope is very rare. I'd do anything to make her happy." He continued. "After all, I love her."

"Aw, buttercup! I love you too!"

Rancis turned around and saw Vanellope smiling. She walked up to him and hung a heart shaped cookie with chocolate icing, outlined in royal icing and and topped with sprinkles. In frosting, it said "To butterfingers." Rancis flipped it over and saw that it read "You're my handsome knight. I love you." The medal was hung from a red sour punch straw. Rancis smiled and looked at Vanellope.

"I made this for you… to thank you for what you did. When I was coming down, I heard everything," she explained, taking Reese from Rancis' grasp, and kissing his cheek. "I love you, butterfingers." Rancis smiled and pulled her into a hug. "I love you too, Nellie. I will always love you." Vanellope smiled and blushed at this, but before she could say anything, Reese began to growl ominously. Rancis and Vanelloep pulled away and looked at Reese, confused. "What's wrong with Reese? Is she upset about something?" Vanellope asked. "I think she senses danger around," Rancis replied. Reese jumped out of Vanellope's grasp and bolted out of the door.

"Reese, wait!" Vanellope screamed, catching everyone's attention.

Vanellope chased after the small pooch, who barked venomously. "Reese, hold on! What is it, girl?" Vanellope called out. Reese ignored her and tackled a large figure right to the ground. The figure screamed and howled in pain, trying to get the angry puppy off of it.

"AHHHHH! GET IT OFF ME! GET-IT-OFF-ME-NOW!" it screamed.

Vanellope sscreeched to a halt and glanced at the figure. "R-ralph?!" she asked. Once again, Ralph had found himself in a painful situation. He winced as Reese continued to slash her claws across her face. Vanellope popped two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly, catching Reese's attention. Reese glanced at it owner and dashed off. Vanellope picked up Reese and looked at Ralph, confused it a twitch of anger in her eyes. "What are you doing here?" she snapped. "Are you here to send someone else to the hospital?"

"Vanellope," the king scolded. "That's no way for a princess to speak to someone."

"No, your candiness, she's right," Ralph said. He got up to his feet and walked over to Vanellope. "I did take it too far."

"A little?" Vanellope questioned. "You sent Rancis to the hospital!"

"I know, I know! I didn't mean that to happen! I regret everything! What I'm trying to say is," Rancis took a deep breath and crouched down to Vanellope. "I owe you an apology. You _and _Rancis."

"Ralph?" Felix piped up. "I realized last night that all I did was push you away. I didn't mean any of this. Yes, I'm angry because I found out two weeks after you and Rancis, but I was worried that if you guys were dating, he'd hurt you." Ralph confessed.

"Ralph that's not true! I would never, ever Vanellope!" Rancis interrupted, a fury of rage burning inside of him. "Sure, I'm handsome, and sure, I act vain! But have you ever, even for a second, gotten to know me? No, you haven't because you've been too busy pointing your finger at me! What did I do to get his, huh? I nearly died out there yesterday, just to keep Vanellope safe from the stampede you made! And what do I get in return? A one-way ticket to the hospital, that's what! Why do you hate me so much?!"

"Rancis, stop! Okay, that's enough!" Vanellope snapped, glaring at him at the corner of her eye. "What Rancis means to say is… why you won't let us be happy together? Why are you so against us?"

Ralph sighed and looked at Vanellope's eyes. "I guess I'm worried that even though after fifteen years of lonliness and being an outcast, Rancis would go back and hurt you." He answered. "But I was wrong about you two. You guys have something really special going on, and I was so overprotective of Vanellope that I didn't even notice. And if someone is willing to get himself hurt for you, Vanellope, then that means you're really lucky to have Rancis around. I am so, so, so sorry Vanellope that this happened. I'm such an idiot."

Vanellope cracked a smile. "And?"

"A real numbskull."

"And?"

"A selfish diaper baby."

"_And?"_

Ralph smiled and shrugged. "A stinkbrain." Vanellope smiled, handed Reese over to Rancis, then jumped into Ralph's open arms. "The stinkiest brain ever!" she whispered, smiling. Everyone aw'd as Vanellope and Ralph embraced each other. Vanellope pulled away and smiled. "Ralph, as my best friend, will you at least give Rancis a shot? For me?" she pleaded. Ralph smiled and nodded, gently placing her down. She skipped towards Rancis and pulled him towards Ralph. "Stinkbrain, you owe someone an apology." She said. Ralph sighed and looked at Rancis.

"Rancis, I am so sorry for the way I've been treating you. One of things I hate is people that hurt Vanellope, and I was worried you were one of them. But no one can make that kid smile brighter than you. You're lucky to have her. Not a lot of guys can score himself a girl like Vanellope here. So promise me that you'll take good care of her," he said.

"I promise, and I'm sorry too. I know you were just trying to protect Vanellope. I completely understand," Rancis replied, looking at Vanellope lovingly. "And you're right, you don't find yourself an adorable princess like Vanellope everyday. I'm just lucky."

Ralph chuckled and held out his hand, which Rancis gladly shook hands with. The crowd clapped and cheered, seeing Ralph and Rancis were now acquainted with each other. "Just know that if you hurt Vanellope in any way, I will hunt you down, drag you out of this game, and wreck you to pieces," he growled threateningly. Rancis whimpered in fear as he withdrew from Ralph's grasp. Vanellope rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Come on, Rancis. Your party awaits you!" Vanellope exclaimed, running to the ballroom with Reese and the other racers in tow, whooping and hollering. Rancis smiled and nodded at Ralph, then ran off to catch up with the others, leaving the four adults alone.

"You did good, Ralph. I'm proud of you," Felix started, patting his brother on the back.

"Least he was able to make someone's day," Calhoun added, trotting off to the ballroom. "Felix, let's go!"

"Yes, my lady!" Felix exclaimed. King Candy stood in fromt of Ralph, just staring at him. He then cracked a smile and nodded his head. "Thank you, Ralph. Thank you for fixing this mess," he said. Ralph shrugged and chuckled. "Yeah. I mean, I might as well put up with it. It's Vanellope's choice, so what do I have to say?" he replied. The two chuckled a bit and King Candy walked back to the ballroom.

"Maybe you're not the bad guy as everyone says you are," the monarch commented.

Ralph looked at the king, a bit shocked, then smiled. He followed the king down the hall and thought if what he just did was the right thing to do. His answer was answered when he saw Vanellope and Rancis slow dancing together, staring at each other's eyes amorously. Ralph smiled at them.

'_Maybe I was overdoing it. Maybe the kid doesn't need to be protected by me. Maybe all she needs is to be with someone who really loves her, inside and out.'_ He thought to himself, nodding. _'And if Rancis can fall in love with Vanellope for who is she, then they got something pretty special going on between the two of them.'_


End file.
